Silverwings
by greysky3
Summary: Grey Sky, a Pegasus who is a bad flier, finds happiness in life as a lonely author. But really, she isn't happy. How many new friends will it take for her to understand herself?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer for the whole story: I do not own My Little Pony.**

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A loud banging noise woke up Grey Sky early that morning. She snapped her eyes open and wondered who could have gotten to her house. Rubbing her eyes, she clambered out of bed, almost tripping on her rug.

She picked her glasses up from her night table, and rushed downstairs. Blinking once, she saw the bell on the inside of her door was now swinging wildly. _So they found the doorbell._

She opened the door and stepped out, nearly plunging down the thirty feet to the ground below. _Who in Cloudsdale is this?_ Grey Sky wondered. It was a wide-eyed filly, holding a book and a quill. Her wings were beating fast, and Grey was impressed with her flying skills.

"Can you sign this?" the filly asked tremulously. Grey nodded, taking the book. She recognized her book immediately: Golden Wings. It was one of her most popular works.

Pushing her glasses up, she picked up the quill with one of her wings and started to write her name with a flourish. The filly's eyes widened as Grey handed her the book back.

"Do you really write with your feathers?" she asked in awe. Grey nodded, having gone through this through so many interviews. "I just fly with mine," the filly added.

Grey winced. She was never the fastest flyer. She wrote because she was good at it, and it was relieving. I must be the only pony in Cloudsdale who isn't athletic, she thought bitterly.

Pushing a strand of her auburn mane behind her ear, the mare smiled at the ecstatic filly. "My name's Feather Splash. Nice to meet you, Grey Sky!"

Grey watched Feather Splash fly off, zooming through the air. Her name was well earned; her wings were all kinds of neon colors. Grey watched as she flew away.

She shut the door and walked over to her living room. She wrote, read, and ate in there. As far as Grey was concerned, she lived in her living room. It was such an ironic thing that she often laughed at it by herself. Grey did everything, really, by herself: she lived alone and all her friends lived far away.

Her closest friend, Pixel Byte, lived in Baltimare. She was the one that had made her a computer. Using an old typewriter and making a screen herself (with the help of her advanced engineering magic), Pixel had made her a computer, the only one in the world.

Grey no longer had to scratch away with a quill. Pixel had made it for her when they were both fillies. Ever since, Grey felt indebted to her. Pixel was off inventing new things, but she received a signed copy of Grey's books when they came out.

Ever since Pixel and Grey were fillies, living in Fillydelphia, Grey had been jealous of her friend. She could be an earth pony for all she could fly, and she envied Pixel's magic. When she first watched her make an apple turn into a butterfly, she just stared, openmouthed.

Then Pixel started fixing things and inventing. Grey tried hard, trying to move things or make them disappear, but nothing ever happened. She had no horn. Her wings barely lifted her up. Grey could only drag herself uselessly by her wings.

Grey sat at the table in front of her computer and looked out, sighing. It was a usual morning routine, daydreaming was how she got inspiration. She looked outside to the beautiful city of Cloudsdale. She'd moved here in hopes of learning to fly, but hadn't really adjusted.

Her house stood out from the others. The outside was the same: pure white, columns, and built on a cloud. The inside was completely different. It was cluttered with bookshelves so you could barely see an empty patch of wall. There were couches, pillows, and blankets everywhere. Grey's room was the one place that was somewhat clean in the house.

It was filled with little baubles and things neatly on shelves, little crafts or paintings. Visiting her house, one might think that it was the work of a filly or a niece, but it was Grey who had made them in her own fillyhood.

There was only one picture in the whole house: one small frame, among the little crafts, showing a freckled filly in a light gray coat and a curly mane. The picture showed the filly as a blank flank. That was before Grey had gotten her first typewriter.

She'd keep her parents and siblings awake all night, tapping away. One day, she wrote her first story, one about a pony who finds out she's a clone of someone else. When she finished typing the words "the end," her cutie mark appeared: an inkblot and a quill.

Mr. and Mrs. Sky were not very pleased. Grey, their youngest daughter, had woken them up in the middle of the night to show them her cutie mark; the one that meant her destiny was to be an author.

The Skies were bird guiders, meaning they flew alongside the birds to bring them to the South of Equestria in the winter, and north in the spring again. They had hoped Grey would have a career that involved flying; a real Pegasus's job, as they said.

Grey's sister, Summer and brother, Cloudy, both had "proper" jobs, out in Canterlot. Summer Sky worked clearing the skies around the royal palace. Summer looked nothing like Grey, except her curly mane. Summer had a pale blond mane and a yellow coat.

Grey liked her brother Cloudy better than Summer. Summer was always bragging about how she looked like a "streaking ray of sunshine." Cloudy was the only one of the three siblings to have a straight mane, and he had a gray coat like Grey, if only darker.

Cloudy Sky was a member of the Royal Guard. He didn't have much of a high rank, but Grey's parents were so proud of him. Whenever there were family reunions, which were always painful for Grey, he would receive compliments by the truckload. Cloudy was never conceited, and tried to turn the conversation around to his little sister, Grey. Mr. and Mrs. Sky would always shrug it off, maybe with a comment about how Grey had no real job. Summer, being the eldest, was always appreciated too.

Grey stopped staring out the window. She had to stop missing her brother, or she'd never concentrate. I do this for him, Grey reminded herself. Despite her parents' lack of encouraging, Grey had slowly started to churn out the books.

She was now an author famous throughout Equestria, and had even gotten a letter from Princess Celestia congratulating her. Grey had framed it and was hoping to show it off at the next family reunion.

She unfolded her wings and poised the feathers above the keyboard. She pushed down on the letters and began to write. Her book was about her famous Pegasus heroine, Thunder Streak.

_Thunder Streak dashed down, swooping up just in time to abruptly pull up again. She landed clumsily and rolled over, panting. Looking up, she realized the Timberwolf was no longer chasing her. Had it all been a dream?_

_ Thunder stood up carefully, brushing off her coat. Unsuspecting ponies had started to gather around her. Did they really have no idea that she had faced a certain death?_

Grey paused, the clacking stopping. She lifted her wings up and thought. She remembered Feather Splash from earlier that day, and an idea started to form. Grey started to type away again.

_ A filly pressed forward, handing her a paper._

_ "Can you sign this?" she asked. Thunder saw the filly had bright pink eyes, and neon pink, purple, and orange wings. The feathers clashed against a bright lime-green coat._

_ "Sure, kid," mumbled Thunder, as the filly pushed her paper over to her. Thunder got up painfully._

_ "My name's Feather Splash," the filly told Thunder excitedly. But Thunder wasn't paying attention. She was looking down at her arm in horror, where the symbol had appeared._

Grey yawned, stopping her typing once more. Glancing at the wall clock, another one of Pixel's gifts, she realized she'd been at it for an hour and a half. It was time for lunch. Grey decided she'd eat out.

Heading for the door, she opened it and breathed in deeply. She barely had time to take a step forward when a small form barreled into her. Grey fell under a pile of neon feathers.

"Feather Splash?"

"Grey Sky!"


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here?" asked Grey. Feather Splash had already jumped off of her and was inspecting her house.

"What's that?" the filly asked.

"My computer," Grey answered, watching Feather Splash bounce around. Feather Splash noticed a lone feather lying next to the machine.

"Do you type with your feathers, too?"

"Yes," Grey said. "What brings you here, Feather Splash?"

"Oh, that. I wanted to show my sister your house!" the filly trotted over to the entrance again. "And you can just call me Splash."

Splash whistled and a foal appeared. It was a little pale lavender filly, with wide green eyes and an icy periwinkle mane. It was still windswept from her fly. Grey was now more envious than ever.

The little filly folded her wings in and stepped inside Grey's house cautiously. She looked up at Grey. "Are you Grey Sky?" she asked.

"Yes," Grey answered. The filly was smaller than Splash, and her eyes were wide, taking everything in. She was a blank flank. Remembering the filly's big sister, Grey looked at Splash. Her cutie mark was already in, a rainbow feather.

"She's Lacewings," Splash told Grey. Grey nodded, a bit overwhelmed at the sudden turn of events. "C'mon, Lace!"

Lacewings followed her sister obediently. "Well, this has been great and all, but I was just about to go grab some lunch…" Grey started.

"Oh! That's perfect! You can have lunch at our house!" Splash said.

"Mom made cookies," Lace added timidly. Grey smiled at the two fillies and agreed. Splash made her way to the front door again, pulling Grey with her. Grey stopped just as they'd reached the sheer drop.

"Um, I mean, why don't we take the side door?" Grey stammered.

"No, silly, it's easier this way," said Splash, tugging on her foreleg again. Grey bit her lip. She would have to confess.

"I can't fly," Grey almost whispered.

"What?" Lacewings and Feather Splash chorused. Grey looked down. She hated telling people this, and it was even more humiliating in front of foals that, on top of that, were already great fliers.

"Remember what we did to teach me how to fly?" Lace asked Splash. They exchanged nods. Before Grey could register anything, Splash had pushed her out of the door. A long scream escaped Grey as she fell, gaining speed.

"Use your wings!" Splash shouted, flying easily next to Grey. Grey flapped, but it barely slowed her down. Her wings were too weak. The ground below was getting closer and closer, and Grey closed her eyes and hoped for the best, her mane whipping around her head.

A blur swooped under her and caught Grey. Opening one eye cautiously, she saw a Pegasus was carrying her. In practically no time, Grey was back up in Cloudsdale, on her back, resting on a soft cloud.

She panted for a while, not bothering getting up. She listened to the conversation, her eyes still closed.

"What was that, Splash?"

"She's a Pegasus!"

"We thought we could get her to fly, anyway," Lace agreed.

Grey opened one eye. An angry stallion with a chestnut coat stood above her. She sat up a little. She felt her ear; her one earring was still there. The gold hoop was reassuringly smooth underneath her hoof.

Luckily, her glasses were inside her house, or they would've been lost. She felt her neck, and the gold chain with her initials she always wore was still there as well. She felt relieved, and brushed back a curl that had fallen in front of her eyes back into her mane.

The stallion extended a hoof, and help pull Grey up. She stood up and took a better look at the stallion. She noticed he was a Pegasus, like everyone in Cloudsdale. He had a sandy blond mane, and green eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked Grey.

"Grey Sky," she answered.

"No…. You aren't that author _they've_ been blabbing about for ages?" the stallion asked, pointing his hoof at the two fillies.

"You know them?" Grey countered.

"This is my brother, Chestnut Feather," Splash cut in.

"Oh, hi," Grey said awkwardly. She shook Chestnut Feather's hoof and turned back to his two little sisters.

"Grey Sky was about to come over for lunch," Lace said.

"I was? Oh, right. Please, just call me Grey," said the mare.

"Okay then Grey. We can just walk over," Chestnut Feather said with a pointed look towards the two fillies. Chestnut set off and Grey followed, Splash and Lace behind the two of them.

"It's right up there," Chestnut told Grey, pointing up at a small house. It was perched on a small cloud and the columns were somewhat crooked, but it looked perfect to Grey.

Splash zoomed up, Lace following her. Chestnut held one of Grey's forelegs and flew them both up. Splash ran in, and Lace did too, with a nod to Grey. Chestnut held the door open properly, and the bewildered mare stepped in.


	3. Chapter 3

As she stepped in, Grey felt like she was walking into a whole new world. _So this is what normal houses look like in Cloudsdale. _The inside of the house was impeccably built out of marble, and fluffy furniture made of clouds was placed at regular intervals in the long, breezy hallway.

Photos were on the wall; there were many of them, but not jumbled. Instead, they were spaced out and perfectly aligned with one another, hanging exactly above the cloud shelves or drawers. Overall, the house looked empty and clean. Peering into the small, glass-framed pictures, Grey could make out the family.

First was Chestnut as a colt, both of his parents with a hoof each on his shoulders. The next frame held two baby ponies: a magenta-haired one with lemongrass yellow strands that was an adorable young Feather Splash, and the pale blue filly Grey was certain was a newborn Lace.

Grey looked up from the frames, and Chestnut was already at the door at the far end of the corridor. Grey cantered over and stepped in. The room she had just walked into seemed, at first, to have no roof. Looking up, squinting her gray eyes that were full of sunlight, Grey saw that the roof was in fact a glass dome. It was impeccably clean and crystalline, so it was almost not there, if not for the thin yet telltale white panes.

Grey closed her mouth, which had dropped open. She pushed her glasses up her muzzle nervously. Looking back down at the wide, circular room, Splash and Lacewings were laughing, chasing each other softly. Their voices echoed against the pristine marble walls. Grey stood back awkwardly, feeling strange in this home.

Just as she was about to leave, a mare came out. She was a Pegasus, with a dark red coat, and a blue mane tucked into a bun. Her lilac eyes sparkled kindly, until she saw Grey. The mare's eyes widened. "Who is this?" she asked to no one in particular, an edge creeping into her voice.

"Mom! This is Grey Sky!" Feather Splash hopped back into view. The mare took a closer look at Grey, squinting at her.

"No… Can it be?" she murmured. Her eyes lit up suddenly. "I'll be right back!" she said, dashing into the next room.

Grey shot a questioning look at Splash, and at Lace who had also appeared. The mare appeared suddenly, clutching _Golden Wings_ in one hand, and a quill in the other. She stopped in front of Grey.

"Are you really Grey Sky, the famous author? You wrote this?" the mare asked, waving the book at Grey.

"I did write that," Grey started, but the mare interrupted her. Grey, personally, thought the mare sounded on the edge of hysteria.

"I had no idea… An the whole time you lived _here!_ It said in the back of the book you lived in Cloudsdale, but to think we were neighbors! Oh, Mrs. Sky, I'm honored."

"Miss," Grey corrected, before she could stop herself. She covered this misstep with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Please, call me Grey."

"I'm Velvet Stitch, but you can call me Velvet. Could you sign this?" the mare asked.

Grey took the book from her in her hoof and extended one wing. Folding it over her shoulder, she gripped the quill and scribbled a loopy "Grey Sky" on the front page. She handed Velvet the book back, and without thinking offered the quill back still held by her wing. Grey tried not to see the look of surprise that had always gotten her pegged for a freak.

"I see you've met my children," Velvet smiled. "Would you like some Rainbow Cocoa?"

"That would be wonderful," Grey said honestly. Velvet cantered off to prepare the drink. It was a Cloudsdale specialty that Grey had tried a few times. It was hot cocoa, with a splash of spicy rainbow mix. They got the liquid rainbow straight from the factory where they made the weather for Equestria.

"Me too!" Splash called out to the next room, which Grey assumed was the kitchen.

"Me three!" Lacewings added.

"Coming up!" Velvet Stitch said cheerfully.

Both fillies sat at the glass table in puffy cloud chairs, where Chestnut had already settled. Grey sat down too, between Chestnut and Splash.

"So, you wrote Golden Wings?" Chestnut asked.

"I did. Is that really so surprising?" Grey joked.

"You're more of a Silver Wings than a golden one," Chestnut mused, pointing his hoof at Grey's stormy coat, the color of the sky before rain.

"Oh—it's, it's not about me, you know, just a made up character!" Grey spluttered, her voice rising to a squeal.

"Why are you making that face then?" Lace asked. Grey looked down at her hind hooves.

"I think I should call you that," Chestnut told Grey, smoothing over the uncomfortable moment. "Silverwings."

"That's _almost_ my name!" Lacewings exclaimed gleefully.

"Not really," Splash argued. Grey smiled. She hadn't been in this kind of family setting since her own foalhood. And then, she'd always come second best to Summer, the amazing flyer.

Velvet appeared at that key moment to serve the Rainbow Cocoa. Even Chestnut, who hadn't asked for one, had a steaming mug in front of him. Velvet sat down in one of the empty chairs.

"So, Grey," she started.

"Mom, we're calling her Silverwings now," Chestnut told Velvet.

Velvet made a surprised face, but accepted this. "Well, dear," she continued. "Where exactly do you live?"

"Well—" Grey started, but her sentence was interrupted. The door was opening.

"That's my husband!" Velvet said. She got up to open the door. Grey looked down at her shimmering, multicolored drink, while pushing a strand of her mane behind her ear. Would he accept her too?

There was nothing left to do but see, as a stallion was walking into the room with Velvet.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Updating stuff!**

**You finally get to meet the dreaded Summer Sky...**

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The stallion walked in with Velvet, closing his dark green wings. They folded neatly over his matching coat. The stallion stopped dead, his eyes landing on Grey. Closing her eyes briefly, she wished fervently she to be anywhere but there.

Unfortunately, she opened her eyes again, and the gaping stallion was still there. "Honey, who is this?" he asked, turning to Velvet.

"He's Splash's new friend," she explained. "Grey Sky." Grey got up from the table quickly.

"Hello," she said, extending her hoof for the stallion to shake it. He shook it firmly, looking into her eyes searchingly.

"Mr. Stitch," he said, introducing himself. Grey nodded, and Mr. Stitch sat at the table. Velvet motioned Grey over, and she took her seat again and sat down next to Chestnut.

"I have cloud cakes coming up for lunch!" Velvet called, going again to the kitchen to retrieve the food.

"So, Miss Sky. Aren't you the author everyone's talking about?"

"Yes?" she said rather uncomfortably.

Mr. Stitch nodded. Grey looked around the room, feeling strange. The whole time she'd been living in Cloudsdale, she'd always felt like she didn't fit in. The table was consumed with awkward silence, until Velvet arrived with lunch.

! #$%^&*

"That was excellent, thank you," Grey said. Velvet beamed taking away their plate.

"Oh, thank you," the mare replied.

"Well, I really have to go," Grey said, aching to get back to her writing. She had to send a book proposal in for the sequel to _Goldenwings, _and her editor was getting impatient.

"Oh," Feather Splash said, looking crestfallen.

"We can meet up in fifteen minutes," Chestnut said, saving the day. Grey smiled gratefully at him and left the house, thanking everyone for the meal.

Once outside, she mulled over her visit. As she often did when troubled or confused, she narrated in her head.

_Grey Sky stepped on the cloudy sidewalk, every step casting a shadow on the flawless surface. To the outside appearing calm, she held the weight of the world on her shoulders._

Grey shook her head. For the first time in her life, she'd felt a little crazy referring to herself in third person. Her wings hung uselessly at her sides. She remembered wistfully how the two fillies had zoomed around their house.

Maybe a miracle had happened? Maybe she'd be able to finally fly? She spread her wings, the tips of her feathers permanently bent from holding quills. She flapped once, and rose a little.

Feeling elated, she flapped more powerfully. She only had an inch to go for her front legs to lift up—

Grey tumbled onto the ground in an ungraceful heap. She heard laughter from above, and scrambled to her hooves again. The sunny blond mane of Summer Sky appeared to Grey.

Frowning, Grey pushed her glasses up her muzzle.

"Who's—" Feather Splash started, but her brother shushed her. Neither of the Sky sisters had heard them approach. They were both practically sizzling with electricity.

"Hello, Summer," Grey said stiffly. "How's life?"

"Good. Still no job?"

"I _write_," said Grey. "I've gotten a letter from Princess Celestia."

"Oh, she's never mentioned you," Summer said, carelessly tossing her pale blond mane back. The pony was dazzling: blond mane, yellow coat, and a golden sun-shaped cutie mark.

Grey called her Canary when they were younger to annoy her.

Summer would usually retaliate by calling her little sister "Four-Eyes."

A thump indicated the graceful landing of the third Sky sibling, just in time for Grey to turn away so Summer wouldn't see her eyes fill with tears of anger.

Grey ran to hug Cloudy. The stallion towered above her. He had the same gray tones in his mane and coat. Cloudy was barely darker than his favorite sister.

"Summer," Cloudy said, sighing. As the older brother, he'd always had to separate the fights between the girls.

The three of them suddenly noticed Feather Splash, Lacewings, and Chestnut Feather standing awkwardly near the three Sky siblings.

Being painfully reminded of how dysfunctional her own family was, Grey felt a stab of pain seeing the family: the shy little sister protected by her big sister, and the big brother never having to separate fights, topped off with two loving parents who loved the three of them equally.

"Who are they?" Summer asking, wrinkling her muzzle.

"My friends," Grey said simply.

"_She has friends_?" Summer mouthed to Cloudy.

Cloudy glared at the now snickering Summer.

"Well, we've got to go," Cloudy said. "See you at the family dinner?"

"Family dinner? What?" Grey asked panicked.

"Tonight. Fillydelphia."

"I-I forgot. I'll be there," she said ignoring her sister.

"Don't bother flying there," Summer said. Grey pretended not to hear. With one last hug to Cloudy, Grey watche them both fly away. She tucked her defective wings in even tighter.

"Have fun writing your fairytales!" Summer called from above.

Grey took a deep breath and turned to the three Pegasi standing next to her. "Urgh!" she shouted. "I don't write fairytales!"

"Nice family, Silverwings."

"According to Miss Canary, my nickname should officially be Four-Eyes," said Grey.

"You can't just go!" Feather Splash said.

"What?" asked Grey.

"You need a makeover. To impress your family," said Splash. Lace nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Super sure. Come on!"

! #$%^&*

"I think that may be too short.

"That's enough.

"Okay, stop, while I still have some of my mane left!" Grey shrieked.

Splash sighed and put down the scissors.

"Now we need to change your glasses," she announced.

"Why?" Grey asked, looking down at her blue, wire-rimmed frames.

"Here, try these," Lace said, handing her another pair. They were big, black, and thick.

"You sure?" Grey said doubtfully.

"Positive," said Lace. She handed Grey a mirror.

The mare could not suppress a gasp. Where before she had had quite a long mane, it had been cut to half its length.

"It looks great," Splash insisted.

She marched Grey out of the bathroom in her house. Chestnut was waiting outside.

"That's… different," he said.

"Is my cutie mark still there?" Grey asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good, it's still me."

"Don't be so dramatic," said Splash. "Anyway, it's almost time for the dinner. How are you getting to Fillydelphia?"

A grin appeared on Grey's face.

"Oh, just an old friend of mine." Grey checked a clock on the sparkling marble wall.

She galloped outside, the other three following her. An audible pop later, a mare had appeared.

She had a spiky, tousled mane streaked with neon green and black, and icy blue eyes to match her coat. Her cutie mark was a bit of circuitry. Her horn was crackling with electricity.

"Cool spell, huh?" Pixel Byte asked. "I can walk on here."

"Pixel!" Grey ran to hug her old friend.

Pixel seemed to notice the three other ponies, staring openmouthed.

"I gotta go check on your computer, de-bug it," Pixel said. "Check on the core…"

"De-bug?" Lacewings repeated.

With one salute, Pixel was off, transporting Grey with her.

"Wow."

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**A/N: Review, cause you guys owe me.**

**That was hard to write *whew***

**I'm out! **


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure?" Pixel asked worriedly, her eyes on Grey.

"I'm going to face my family," said the mare firmly. She steadied herself and rang the doorbell to her parents' house. With one last dubious glance at her friend, Pixel disappeared, her magic only leaving the faintest glow.

The door opened and Grey's father appeared.

"Oh," he said, and turned into the house. Taking this as her cue to enter the still open door, Grey stepped in.

The place of her nightmares had not changed since her foalhood. The narrow hallways were still that shade of beige she detested, one she had sought to escape with her unusual plum-colored walls back in Cloudsdale.

The smell of food filled the house. She could accuse her mother of many unpleasant things, but bad cooking could not be one of them. She thought she recognized flower stew and spinach pie. Her mouth watered; since she'd moved to the cloud city, she'd only had her standard bad cooking: flower salad and grass soup.

Grey thought she might survive the family reunion if she concentrated on the meal. She arrived at the end of the hallway, and seeing she had already stalled as much as she possibly could, Grey took a deep breath and stepped into the dining room.

Cold silence greeted her. She took the only empty seat quietly, thankfully next to Cloudy. Summer was across from her, next to their mother. Their father was at the head of the table.

Starry Sky had been beautiful in her day, everyone in their neighborhood said. She was a legend of her own, having been a show pony of some kind when she was younger. Grey had been close to her mother until the cutie mark.

Her cutie mark had meant she was going to be an author. Surely grey's obsession with little stories would fade, her parents thought. She wold learn to use her wings and put them to good use, like an honest Pegasus.

Grey had instead been a disappointment. Her cutie mark had nothing to do with flying, she was as good as an earth pony. Her parents were very prejudiced against earth ponies, calling them "talentless" since they could neither fly or do magic.

Grey Sky was just an earth pony with wings to them. Her new glasses felt strange on her face, and she was pushing them up her muzzle more frequently, a sure sign of her nervousness.

Grey's mother turned to her. Her midnight blue coat contrasted with a pale blue mane, now streaked with gray. Her emerald green eyes she had passed on to her son were searching.

Grey knew she didn't approve of her one gold hoop. But she was mare now. Fillies could be told what to do. Grey was free to do as she pleased.

"Hello, Grey," she said rather abruptly, ending any daydreams Grey might've had about her being forgiven.

"Have you gotten a job yet?" her father asked. He refused point-blank to acknowledge she wrote books.

"Yes, I have," Grey said simply, deciding to change up the routine.

"Oh?"

Such a simple question required a satisfactory answer.

"I write books."

"That isn't a proper job for a Pegasus," said her father.

"You could at least do something with your wings," added Starry.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" Grey suddenly burst out.

Cloudy chewed his lip and shot a sideways glance at his sister, who was breathing heavily in an attempt to control herself. Summer had a snicker tugging at her lips.

"I can't fly, no matter how hard I try. My wings just don't work. I know what my cutie mark is. I'm meant to write."

Shocked silence rang through the table. All the other years Grey had deflected any questions or mumbled something unintelligible.

Grey waited for them to say something, to tell her they finally understood, that they were sorry, or something.

Her mother broke the silence first. "Summer dear, how's your job in Canterlot?"

Grey fought hard to squeeze away tears. She blocked out the rest of what her sister was saying, simpering and such. She looked at Cloudy. He looked worried, and was surveying her face.

Her parents were gazing adoringly at Summer, who was still talking. The proud look on their faces were what pushed Grey to her limit.

"STOP!" she shouted, interrupting Summer mid-sentence. "If you're going to pretend I'm not here and ignore me, then I might as well leave."

She galloped out of the house without looking back to see how they would react. She kept galloping down the streets of Fillydelphia, where drizzle was beginning to fall in the night.


End file.
